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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. object — to protest
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. snap — to click
  8. object — a thing
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bound — tied together
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bound — obliged
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. bound — certain
  20. object — an aim
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pound — a weight

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com